Tuesday, 9 June 2015

ITALY VISIT: Putin visits with one eye on EU Sanctions

According to Reuters President
Vladimir Putin of Russia will be on the lookout for signs of dissent over European
Union sanctions on Russia when he visits Italy on Wednesday, but he is
likely to be disappointed.

The
Russian leader is due to meet Prime Minister Matteo Renzi at the Expo
2015 global fair in Milan, two weeks before the EU decides whether to
extend the economic sanctions imposed on Moscow after it annexed Crimea
from Ukraine in March 2014. Although
Putin can expect a friendly reception, Italy is unlikely to break
ranks, especially after G7 leaders warned at a summit attended by Renzi
that they might step up the sanctions if violence in Ukraine increases.

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But
Russia enjoys better relations with Italy than with most of its EU
partners. It regards Rome as a reluctant backer of sanctions and a
leading proponent of dialogue with Moscow.Reacting
to G7 criticism on Monday, the Kremlin said there were nuances of
opinion in the group of industrialized nations, an apparent reference to
Italy, and Moscow has sought to exploit divisions over the sanctions."My
Italian partners have always put the interests of Italy, of the Italian
people, first and believed that in order to serve the interests of
their country, including economic and political interests, they must
maintain friendly relations with Russia," Putin told the Italian
newspaper Corriere della Sera.Putin
- who will also hope for a sympathetic reception in Vatican City from
Pope Francis, who has played a behind-the-scenes role in discussions on a
Palestinian state and in U.S.-Cuba relations - referred to a "special
relationship" with Rome. Italian
Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, however, signaled no change in Italy's
stance on Ukraine in a separate interview with Corriera della Sera.Underlining
what he said was Italy's consistency in relations with its European
and U.S. allies, Gentiloni said: "Italy has been combining loyalty to
its allies with a special relationship with Russia."He added that he did not subscribe to Putin's version of events in Ukraine.BLAME GAMEPutin
blames the crisis on Kiev and the West, which he says plotted a coup
in Ukraine. He denies sending arms and troops to back pro-Russian
separatists in east Ukraine, where more than 6,400 people have been
killed in just over a year of fighting. U.S.
President Barack Obama, whose country has also punished Russia with
sanctions, puts the blame directly on Putin. He accused him on Monday of
wrecking Russia's economy by trying to recreate the glories of the
Soviet empire. Putin is
making a rare foray onto EU soil since the Ukraine crisis stoked the
worst tension between Moscow and the West since the Cold War ended,
though it is his second trip to Italy in eight months following a
Europe-Asia summit in October. Putin
cemented ties with Hungary during a visit to Budapest in February, but
the former Soviet bloc ally is not expected to block the extension of
sanctions at an EU summit on June 25-26. A visit in June 2014 to Austria, a longstanding energy customer for Moscow, was also not followed by splits in the EU.Putin
will be accompanied by business leaders including Vladimir Dmitriev,
head of Russian state development bank VEB, and Igor Sechin, chief
executive of state oil company Rosneft. The Kremlin announced no plans
for major deals to be signed.